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IV. the IDEOLOGY of the ALT RIGHT [ T in Gainesville,Florida IV. THE IDEOLOGY OF THE ALT RIGHT 21 Alt right leader Richard Spencer, speaks during a press conference at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on October 19, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images he alt right is a strange stew, a conglomerate of in large part as a reaction against neoconservatism, elements from different online subcultures loosely which paleos vigorously oppose. Paleoconservatism The Ideology of the Alt Right Theld together by white supremacist ideology. Still uneasily straddles the dividing line between mainstream new, the alt right wrestles with articulating a clear self- conservatism and the far right; adherents who are too identity or even reaching rough consensus among its explicit about their beliefs on issues such as race and constituent parts, a struggle illustrated by the numerous anti-Semitism sometimes find themselves “exiled” from splits and disputes within the movement in its short history. the mainstream right. A number of different beliefs came together in the 2010s It is no coincidence that some of paleoconservatism’s to form the ideological basis of the alt right. most prominent voices, including figures like Joseph Sobran and Samuel Francis, were fired from mainstream Paleoconservatism conservative publications such as the Washington Times and the National Review for the bigoted nature of their The alt right’s ideological sources are as mixed as its content. Some paleos, most notably Patrick Buchanan, subcultural influences. One of the most straightforward have managed to keep a foothold in the mainstream influences is paleoconservatism, reflected most clearly despite holding controversial views on race, culture or in Richard Spencer, his National Policy Institute, and his religion. Others, including Jared Taylor and Peter Brimelow, followers. Paleoconservatism is an obscure segment of have more or less willingly self-exiled, finding receptive the American right that seeks not only limited government audiences for their views within the radical right. and traditional values but also a return to older, less Among paleoconservatives, opposition to immigration, enlightened attitudes on subjects such as race, religion, multiculturalism, non-Christian religions and even ethnicity and gender. the concept of equality is common, as is support for nationalism. Ironically, Paul Gottfried, one of Though some beliefs common among paleoconservatives paleoconservativism’s founders is himself Jewish. (also known as “paleos”) can be found as far back as In spite of this, he has characterized neoconservatives the isolationists and “America Firsters” of the 1930s, as “ill-mannered, touchy Jews and their groveling or paleoconservatism itself is newer, arising in the 1980s adulatory Christian assistants.” A number of different beliefs came together in the 2010s to form the ideological [ basis of the alt right. ] Right: Richard Spencer speaks to select media in a building serving as What Spencer and others office space on August 14, 2017 in Alexandria, Virginia. Spencer, head of the National Policy Institute announced his intention to speak at rallies at in the alt right really Texas A&M University and the University of Florida the following month. hoped to accomplish was Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images reinjection of their racist views into mainstream conservatism, to The early 2000s, the era of the Bush administration and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, represented the high-water carve out a place for mark for neoconservatism; paleos had little hope their views themselves within the would find much of an audience. However, as public opinion conservative movement soured on the wars and on the Bush administration and its neoconservative allies, paleos like Paul Gottfried and a new and to make their racism generation of right-wing activists—Richard Spencer is the and anti-Semitism most well-known example—sensed the opening of a window of opportunity and pounced. The term “alternative right” itself more acceptable. was coined in 2008 by Richard Spencer (Gottfried has also claimed credit); by 2010, Spencer had created Alternative Right Magazine, an online publication with himself as “executive editor” and Brimelow and Gottfried as “senior contributing PIONEERS AND INFLUENCERS editors.” The site described itself as a magazine of “radical traditionalism” attempting to forge a “new intellectual right- OF THE ALT RIGHT: wing” outside establishment conservatism. Richard Spencer Though presenting itself as a form of renegade conservatism (see below), what Spencer and others in the alt right really Paleoconservatism hoped to accomplish was reinjection of their racist views into Spencer created the term “alt right”, mainstream conservatism, to carve out a place for themselves which he considers a movement within the conservative movement and to make their racism about “white identity”. and anti-Semitism more acceptable. Alt right adherents influenced by paleoconservativism tend to be particularly interested in mainstream politics, more so than other alt Steve Bannon righters. The birth of the alternative right coincided with a resurgence of right-wing extremism following the election Renegade Conservative of Barack Obama as president, but the alt right was mostly In 2007, he co-founded Breitbart unable to capitalize on this resurgence—its time would News, a far-right website which he described in 2016 as “the platform come later. for the alt-right”. Neo-Nazism and Fascism Another ideological influence on the alt right is neo-Nazism. Andrew Anglin Neo-Nazis are white supremacist groups that revere Adolf Neo-Nazis & Facist Hitler and Nazi Germany and adopt many of the trappings, Anglin launched the Daily Stormer symbology and mythology of the Third Reich. Neo-Nazis on July 4, 2013, with shorter articles also adopt its extreme anti-Semitism, though many Hitlerian and a more provocative style. notions were dropped along the way, such as seeing Slavs as subhumans (modern white supremacists simply see them as “white”). Alex Jones The best-known alt right figure associated with neo-Nazism Right-wing Conspiracy Theorists has been Andrew Anglin, the Ohio-based founder of the Daily Jones runs a website, Infowars. Stormer, which grew to be one of the most popular white com, devoted to conspiracy theories supremacist websites. The Daily Stormer was an attempt and fake news, and the websites to repackage Anglin’s earlier website, Total Fascism, into a NewsWars and PrisonPlanet. punchier, more enticing format. 23 The Ideology of the Alt Right As its name suggests, Anglin’s inspiration was Der Stürmer, Identitarianism the crudely racist and anti-Semitic newspaper published Another ideological influence on the alt right is identitarianism, by Nazi Julius Streicher from 1923-1945. Anglin used which some have described as the European equivalent Nazi-inspired graphics for his website, as well as sections of the alt right, though that is only true in a loose sense. labeled “The Jewish Problem” and “Race War.” Posts on the Identitarianism is a right-wing European movement that site were very much in the spirit of Streicher, such as “The originated in the early 2000s in France and spread to Disturbing Rites of the Jews,” “Robin Williams Suicide: Jew other European countries. Like the alt right, identitarians Gold Doesn’t Bring Happiness,” and “Thousands of Ratlike attracted many young people to their ranks. At their simplest, Jews Demonstrate in Israel.” With similar language, Anglin identitarians are anti-nativist nationalists who oppose non- also attacked blacks, Muslims, women, LGBTQ people and white (and especially Muslim) immigration into Europe, as well other minorities. as the continued existence of Jews and Roma within Europe. Though there are different strains of identitarianism, most Anglin, fluent in 4chan subculture (see next section), seek to change European countries into right-wing, nationalist also helped merge that subculture with hardcore white ethnostates; most also share a Europeanist vision of a Europe supremacy, frequently using its memes and language. cleansed of “alien influences.” Eventually, Anglin even created a guide to the alt right for “normies” (i.e., non-adherents), that explained many of Identitarian ideas have made their way into the United its memes and terms. States, where they are very compatible with views such as paleoconservatism. Richard Spencer, for example, has By 2017, Anglin toned down some of the Nazi-influenced proclaimed himself an identitarian and his National Policy graphics on the Daily Stormer, replacing them with images of Institute sponsored a “Why I’m an Identitarian” essay contest. the American flag and George Washington, though the site’s American identitarianism is somewhat different from its language did not change and Anglin continues to make European counterpart because America is a melting pot Nazi references. of different cultures and ethnicities. Thus for American identitarians the idea of a white ethnostate has largely Nazi and fascist influences can be seen elsewhere in the alt replaced the idea of national ethnostates, such as a purely right as well, in its language, memes, and even the screen Hungarian Hungary. Some Southern white supremacists have names of its adherents. People who equate the alt right with even combined identitarianism with “southern nationalism,” neo-Nazism are incorrect, but neo-Nazi influences are certainly calling for a Southern white ethnostate—this concept is evident in the alt right. sometimes known as
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